1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a pacifier for infants and babies. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pacifier having a protective shield, which may not be ingested by a baby or infant, which includes a nipple on one end of the protective shield and a handle at the opposite end of the shield. The handle of the invention may, at the option of an adult, be stored inside the nipple portion of the pacifier or removed therefrom. The handle, as will be explained in greater detail hereinafter, may be designed for easy grasping by an adult and may include removable attachment means such as, hook-look means, for easy attachment to, and removal from, a suspender cord or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Infant and baby pacifiers, presently known to the priar art, generally include a mouth protective shield having a nipple on one side and a handle on the opposite side. Additionally, some prior art devices have merely an opening, without a handle, on the side opposite to the side having the nipple, while other devices have a closed surface on this opposite side. Prior art devices of the foregoing types are generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,403,613, issued Sept. 13, 1983, to Panicci; 4,447,164, issued May 8, 1984, to Berndt; 4,545,378, issued Oct. 8, 1985, to Chrones; 4,554,919, issued Nov. 26, 1985, to Hubert; and, 4,577,632, issued Mar. 25, 1986, to Grasset.
The usual reasons for designs of the foregoing types are so that a handle is available to grasp the pacifier or to tie it to a string. Alternatively, some pacifier designs omit a handle portion from the pacifier so that a baby cannot accidentally pull the pacifier from its mouth. A drawback of this latter design is that it also prevents grasping of the pacifier, on its backside, by an adult, or tying the pacifier to a ribbon, etc., by the adult so that the pacifier cannot be thrown to the ground by the baby or infant. One device disclosed by prior art includes a pacifier having just an opening on the side opposite to that of the nipple portion. Such a design has no readily apparent benefit, as would exist with the device of the present invention.
In addition, when pacifiers, such as those of the prior art, are supplied with an unobstructed opening in the opposite side to the nipple side, the infant may insert its fingers in the opening thereby accidentally removing the pacifier from its mouth or having its fingers caught in the opening.
The prior art, while providing several pacifiers of varying constructions, fails to provide a pacifier whereby a parent can select, on a continuing basis, whether to have the handle portion of a pacifier either extended or recessed, depending upon the circumstances of the moment. The art further fails to include means for the ready attachment and removal of such a pacifier from a suspender support cord or other support.